Cultivator.



M. M. DECKER. GULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8, 1911.

1,104,293, Patented July 21, 1914.

2 BHEETB-SHEET 1.

l I I i Witnesses Inventor by J / I I I a c Attorneys M. M. DECKER.

OULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION rum) nov. a, 1911,

Attorneys Witnesses MAL M. DECKER, OF BURR OAK, KANSAS.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application filed November 8, 1911. Serial No. 659,214.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAL M. DECKER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Burr Oak, in the county of Jewell andState of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Cultivator, of which thefollowing is a speci fication.

This invention relates to cultivators, its

I proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement ofparts and in the details of construction hereinafter described andclaimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment ofthe invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what isclaimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawingsz Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine, the positionsof the rows relative thereto being indicated by dotted lines, a portionof the seat being removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine,one of the wheels being removed. Fig. 3 is a detail View of a portion ofthe cultivator and showing the connection between one of the beams andits spring.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates atubular axle member angular in cross sectional contour and adapted toreceive angular extensions 2 held against displacement relative to thetubular member 1 by means of set screws 3 or the like. Each extension 2has a downwarlly extending arm 4r from the lower end of which projects aspindle 5, the spindles being supported by wheels 6. Thus it will beseen that the wheels 6 can be adjusted toward or away from each other byloosening the screws 3 and sliding the extensions 2 into or out of thetubular axle member 1.

A draft beam 7 is secured upon the middle portion of the axle section 1and is further connected to said section by means of rearwardlydiverging braces 8 connected, adjacent their rear ends, by a cross strip9.

Seat supporting strips 10 extend rearwardly from this cross strip 9 andthe beam 7 and tltielieat carried thereby has been indicated a An archedbar 12 is secured to the beam 7 in front of the axle and said bar isproyided at its free ends with laterally extendmg trunnions 13.Downwardly and for wardly inclined braces 1% connect the end portions ofthe tubular member 1 to the trunnions 13 and upwardly and forwardlyinclined braces 15 are secured to the arms l of the axle close to thespindles 2 and extend upwardly to and are clamped upon the up perportion of the arch 12. Any suitable means may be provided foradjustably connecting the braces 15 to the arch 12 and in the drawingsan ordinary strip 16 has been illustrated.

Sleeves 17 are mounted on the trunnions 13 and have extensions 18 towhich the beams 19 of the cultivator are connected. Each of these beamshas a handle 20 connected to it and extending close to the seat 11 sothat the driver can readily grasp it and thus regulate the operation ofthe cultivator shovels.

An arm 21 extends rearwardly from each end portion of the section 1 andsupports a toothed segment 22 and an adjusting lever 23. Said lever isconnected by means of a chain 24, to the beam 19 thereunder, it thusbeing apparent that by actuating the lever the beam 19 can be raised orlowered as desired. A spring 25 connects each beam to the arch 12 andfacilitates the elevation of the beam to raise the shovels out ofengagement with the soil.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that, when the beams 19 arelowered to active positions, the lower end of the spring is arrangedunder or slightly in advance of the pivot trunnion 13 so that the springdoes not act to lift the beam under these conditions but, if it has anyaction, tends to force the shovels into engagement with the soil. When,however, the handles 20 are pulled upwardly a sufficient distance toswing the lower end of the spring backwardly from under the trunnion,said springs will promptly be brought into play so as to swing the beamsupwardly. lVhen lever 23 is locked against movement, the connectionbetween the lever and the beam limits the downward movement of said beamwhen handle 20 is pushed downwardly. The beam can be readily swungupwardly out of active position whenever desired simply by giving aslight upward pull on the handle 20 so as to bring the spring 25 intoplay whereupon said spring will operate to completely elevate the beamand lift the shovels out of engagement with the soil.

It will be noted that while each beam can be swung upwardly ordownwardly about the trunnion 13 as an axis, it can also be swunglaterally about its connection with the extension 18.

As each beam 19 is connected to its lever 23 by a chain 24, it will beobvious that should the shovels carried by the beam strike an unyieldingobstruction, the beam will be swung upwardly so as to bring the lowerend of the spring 25 past the dead center, thus causing said spring tolift the beam upwardly and thereby elevate the shovels so as to passover the obstruction. This automatic operation is permissible in View ofthe flexible connection between the beam 19 and lever 23.

It will be noted that the lower end of each spring 25 is provided with acurved terminal portion which is extended forwardly under the trunnion13. Ob"lOl1Sly, when the sprin is pulling upwardly on the extension 18and tending to press the rear end of the beam 19 downwardly against thesoil, this downward movement will be limited by the curved terminalportion of the spring moving forward against the trunnion. Consequentlythe action of the spring 25 in forcing the shovels into the ground islimited.

Each beam 19 has an angular cross beam 26 bolted or otherwise secured atits center thereto, said beam carrying, at its ends, shovels 27 and 28respectively, means being provided for adjustably connecting the shovelsto the beam. The shovel 27 at the outer end of the beam is located ashort distance outside of the path of wheel 6 in the front thereof,whereas shovel 28 at the inner end of the beam is preferably arrangedunder the seat 11. That portion of each beam 19 back of the beam 26 ispreferably provided with two cultivator shovels 29 and 30 respectively,the shovels 29 being adjustably connected to the outer faces of thebeams 19 while the shovels 30 are arranged upon the inner faces of saidbeams at any desired distances back of the shovels 29.

any suitable The shovels 28 are spaced apart a suflicient distance topermit a row to extend between them and shovels 27 are so adjusted as tobe supported close to the adjoining rows.

A whiflle tree 31 is mounted upon the beam 7 and carries swingle trees32 so arranged that one draft animal can be located between every tworows.

When the machine is in use the arched axle formed of the sections 1 and2 will straddle only one row and the supporting wheels 6 will travelclose to the two adjoining rows, said rows being indicated at A inFig. 1. Thus four shovels are supported between every two rows, theshovels 28 serving to cultivate close to the middle row while theshovels 27 cultivate close tothe two side rows. The spaces between theshovels 27 and 28 are cultivated by the shovels 29 and 30.

It will be apparent, from the foregoing, that a machine much narrowerthan the ordinary two row cultivator can be used for cultivating thespaces between three rows and as the machine is thus smaller andlighter, it can, obviously, be made much more cheaply than othermachines of equal efficiency.

By utilizing an arched axle which is adjustable longitudinally, themachine can be used to cultivate between rows differentdis tances apart.

What is claimed is The combination with an arched member having alaterally extending trunnion, a beam pivoted on the trunnion and havingan angular cross beam, and shovels connected to the two beams, of acoiled spring secured at its upper end to the arched member and having acurved terminal portion extending back of and under the trunnion andconnected to the beam, said spring constituting means for shifting theshovels either downwardly or upwardly, the curved terminal cooperatingwith the trunnion to limit the downward movement of the shovels underthe action of the spring. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MAL M. DECKER.

Witnesses:

F. DOBBINS, E. F. HAWORTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratents, Washington, D. G.

